Defense trumps poverty in Republican House

American soldiers learned the hard way not to walk down enemy trails in Vietnam — and certainly not twice. But here come the House Republicans, marching into the sunlight by shifting billions from poverty programs to the Pentagon, all within hours of adopting an entirely new round of tax cuts for those earning more than $1 million a year.

Is this the same party that abhors class warfare and wants to show a gentler side of Mitt Romney toward women and Hispanics? Are we talking smart, principled politics or the charge of the light brigade?

Text Size

-

+

reset

The House Budget Committee meets Monday afternoon to put the final touches on the more than $300 billion 10-year package — the opening shot of a fall campaign to preserve defense spending without bowing to Democratic demands for new taxes.

Monthly food stamp benefits would be cut, hitting millions of single-mother households by summer’s end. Unemployed workers would be dropped from the rolls until they spend down their cash savings below $2,000 — one-fifth of Romney’s famous $10,000 bet. Working-class, often Latino, parents would be denied child tax credit refunds if they lack Social Security cards proving they are authorized to work in the U.S.

These are immigrant taxpayers whose average annual wages are $21,240 and generate far more for the Social Security system in payroll taxes than any refunds they receive. Yet their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, would lose out even as the House channels an almost identical sum, $7.35 billion, into a new tax deduction for 125,000 small-business owners whose income exceeds $1 million.

Because none of these House bills are going anywhere soon in the Democratic Senate, it’s easy enough to dismiss. Much of the press — and even some Republicans — prefer to do so.

But something far bigger is happening here.

There have been ugly moments in the course of committee markups: snide comments about what food stamp recipients buy at the local grocery line, a wild accusation that President Barack Obama’s preventive care fund had been used to spay dogs in Tennessee. But going into November, here too are the seeds of a real national debate about guns, butter, taxes — the math and morals of budget choices when the money’s running out.

“Ignore it at your own peril,” Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) told POLITICO. “They think it’s not the enemy path. They think that’s the path to victory.”

This moral dimension explains why the Roman Catholic bishops have come off the sidelines with such force in opposition. And what’s to make of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) having voted against some of these same cuts promoted by the party’s other young vice presidential face, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan?

Before a skeptical audience at Georgetown University, Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman, insisted that the moral imperative is on his side, even quoting Pope Benedict XVI to bolster his argument that the debt must be addressed in this generation and not passed on to the future.

By failing to engage more with solutions of their own, Obama and Democrats can blame only themselves for creating this political void. Ryan and other House chairmen see themselves as prudent stewards stepping into the breach — performing their triage but also saving the core assistance for those most in need.

“Government safety-net programs have been stretched to the breaking point,” Ryan said, “Failing the very citizens who need help the most.”

Readers' Comments (122)

Don't ever be so gullible or naive that you think this is about DEFENSE because it's NOT.

It's about billions in taxpayer-funded WELFARE diverted to the states ("coincidentally" majority RED) that host military bases so they can throw it away on military contractors and local businesses that can't survive on their own. And that's ALL it's about. South Carolina alone has EIGHT military bases. EIGHT!

It's not like one dime of this money would actually show up as raises in the paychecks of our troops.

The reality is even the Republicans don't want this abortion of a budget. They love being able to say we need to cut government spending to the American people, but in the meantime, tell their rich patrons that they're working to help them become richer. They know this will never pass the senate, but they can say they did their part for the Koch agenda. If only they owned the senate and executive branch! (donation bag open)

Meanwhile, we desperately need a functioning Congress to actually do something useful to help the country. Painful cuts across the board are necessary, and they cannot be all on social programs. We desperately need to raise taxes as well, but lets take one impossible step at a time I suppose.

Politico: The House Budget Committee meets Monday afternoon to put the final touches on the more than $300 billion 10-year package. Monthly food stamp benefits would be cut, hitting millions of single-mother households by summer’s end.

____________________________________________

Alleviating Poverty in the United States: The Critical Role of SNAP Benefits [Food Stamps]

USDA Economic Research Report No. (ERR-132) 30 pp, April 2012

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) [or Food Stamps] is one of the largest food assistance progams in the United States, providing 44.7 million individuals with an average monthly benefit of $134 in 2011.

We used Current Population Survey data to examine the effect of SNAP on poverty from 2000 to 2009, by adding program benefits to income and calculating how SNAP benefits affected the prevalence, depth, and severity of poverty.

We found an average decline of 4.4 percent in the prevalence of poverty due to SNAP benefits, while the average decline in the depth and severity of poverty was 10.3 and 13.2 percent, respectively.

SNAP benefits had a particularly strong effect on child poverty, reducing its depth by an average of 15.5 percent and its severity by an average of 21.3 percent from 2000 to 2009. SNAP’s antipoverty effect peaked in 2009, when benefit increases were authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Our analysis shows that SNAP significantly improves the welfare of low-income households.

Report summary

Full report

___________________________________________________

Wow! A whole $134 a month in food benefits? I bet a congressional Rep spends more than this on one lunch!

This is the Republican mantra. Protect Defense spending at all costs even when there are defense programs that are out dated, over-budget, and late with no penalties or accountability held to the suppliers.

All of this is at the expense of the middle and lower class while at the same time protecting the millionaires and billionaires so they can continue to pay less taxes than the average American; so they can have more than one house than the average American, and so they can live the better life while middle and lower class Americans struggle to make ends meet.

Republicans don't believe that it is a right of every American to have health insurance; they don't believe the Government should help you if you lost your job and need assistance to make ends meet, and Republicans believe that income inequality is OK because they feel it will trickle down below. Again at the expense of everyone else while the executives rake in millions in bonuses while the average worker gets a pat on the back and a thank you.

The good news in all of this is there is an election coming up in November, which could reshape Ryan and the GOP's continuing drive to "starve the beast" while funding the Defense Dept. without God forbid, increasing taxes on the GOP's most favored Citizens, the top 2%, and Corporate America. All that is required is for the 98% to wake up, and force the House and Senate to make changes. That can be done by voting a few Radical Right Wing Politicans out of office as a group, and putting candidates in office who will actually put the interests of the Nation and its people first, and who will concentrate on job creation, fixing an obsolete tax code and bringing back a real progressive tax rate. All anyone needs to do is consider the massive restructuring of income and wealth between the haves, and the have nots over the past 30 years, which just happens to coincide with the application of GOP trickle down economics.

Massive shifts of wealth from the 98% to the 2% as politicians have pandered to that 2% group have caused the collapse of many rich and powerful nations.in World History. Some scholars have concluded that 25% is the tipping point for a nations decline to start. GOP failed trickle down polices have now brought the total amount of wealth and assets of the US in the hands of the top 2% up to over 40%.

Now Romeny/Ryan and the GOP want to do it all over again, for the fourth time with a new application of trickle down economic, the exact same policies which created our current economic meltdown. Study the Romney endorsed "marvelous" Ryan Budget" and compare it to the Bush model. You will find it is the same, a classic application of the proven definition of insanity, "doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result.

The application of tax cuts and deregulaiton brought about the Bush collapse. It does not work. Time to fire any House and Senate members who have signed the Norquist Pledge and put wealth for the top 2% over the best interests of this Nation and its People.

The good news in all of this is there is an election coming up in November, which could reshape Ryan and the GOP's continuing drive to "starve the beast" while funding the Defense Dept. without God forbid, increasing taxes on the GOP's most favored Citizens, the top 2%, and Corporate America. All that is required is for the 98% to wake up, and force the House and Senate to make changes. That can be done by voting a few Radical Right Wing Politicans out of office as a group, and putting candidates in office who will actually put the interests of the Nation and its people first, and who will concentrate on job creation, fixing an obsolete tax code and bringing back a real progressive tax rate. All anyone needs to do is consider the massive restructuring of income and wealth between the haves, and the have nots over the past 30 years, which just happens to coincide with the application of GOP trickle down economics.

Massive shifts of wealth from the 98% to the 2% as politicians have pandered to that 2% group have caused the collapse of many rich and powerful nations.in World History. Some scholars have concluded that 25% is the tipping point for a nations decline to start. GOP failed trickle down polices have now brought the total amount of wealth and assets of the US in the hands of the top 2% up to over 40%.

Now Romeny/Ryan and the GOP want to do it all over again, for the fourth time with a new application of trickle down economic, the exact same policies which created our current economic meltdown. Study the Romney endorsed "marvelous" Ryan Budget" and compare it to the Bush model. You will find it is the same, a classic application of the proven definition of insanity, "doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result.

The application of tax cuts and deregulaiton brought about the Bush collapse. It does not work. Time to fire any House and Senate members who have signed the Norquist Pledge and put wealth for the top 2% over the best interests of this Nation and its People.

The good news in all of this is there is an election coming up in November

Yes, and the vast majority of Americans are middle class, and want to stay that way. Welfare bums take, take, take, and give nothing back. Unless you count drugs, crime and depressed real estate. It's time that the Dems get called out on their "vote farms". Give the welfare crowd free stuff, and all that they have to do is deliver the block vote every two years.

"Monthly food stamp benefits would be cut, hitting millions of single-mother households by summer’s end. Unemployed workers would be dropped from the rolls until they spend down their cash savings below $2,000 — one-fifth of Romney’s famous $10,000 bet. Working-class, often Latino, parents would be denied child tax credit refunds if they lack Social Security cards proving they are authorized to work in the U.S."

Those horrible, terrible Republicans!!! How DARE they ask that people show they are authorized to be in this country before receiving any benefit from the government!!

"Monthly food stamp benefits would be cut, hitting millions of single-mother households by summer’s end. Unemployed workers would be dropped from the rolls until they spend down their cash savings below $2,000 — one-fifth of Romney’s famous $10,000 bet. Working-class, often Latino, parents would be denied child tax credit refunds if they lack Social Security cards proving they are authorized to work in the U.S."

Those horrible, terrible Republicans!!! How DARE they ask that people show they are authorized to be in this country before receiving any benefit from the government!!

_______________________________________________

Please note that this quote speaks to three completely separate groups.

Now what makes them think that this plan is going to work.They know it is dead in the water,but they will say-see we put up a plan and the Democrats blocked it.The plans real intention is not to provide for the defense of the military,but the hidden tax cuts for the wealthy.They say that the tax cuts are for small business,but most true small business do not clear a million dollar/year.

So their plan gives to the haves and takes away from the have nots.That means the working poor,the unemployed,and single parent households.PEOPLE WAKE UP-THE IMMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLLUM,AND THEY NOW HAVE THE KEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The party that simultaneously cuts taxes on millionares and cut benefits in the middle of the worst economy of the past 75 years, meanwhile declaring that upon the conclusion of two wars defense spending should be raised should be easily whipped come election time.

That they aren't is a either a testament to the incompetence of their opponents, or the foolishness of the electorate, or both.

The Ryan budget which many of these cuts come from is the worst plan for this country. The church is right to start to complain because many poor people will be hurt and the middle class will also be hurt and if they are destroyed...soon ...the country will fail. The middle class are the spenders. They do not have extra money to put in offshshore banks as the corporations and the rich including Mr.Romney. He has offshore banks for his millions also. In the Ryan plan is a hidden agenda called the Territorial Tax System which will allow corporations to ship their profits out of the country from the first dollar, thereby allowing them to pay "0" taxes. Without the taxes of the corporations ...this country will fail. We cannot only tax the middle class and the poor and expect to remain the No 1 nation...it is impossible....too many programs will be cut especially in eduction and health for the poor. How any group can condone something like this and call themselves christians is beyond me. Every day more and more is being passed and the people are not quite informed on this especially with the votiing changes, planned parenthood which provides paps smears and mammogrms for the poor women of this country. Should they not be allowed these tests just because they are poor? And for women... over 1,000 bills have been submitted and many passed regarding contraceptives, and birth control..ie. ******l ultrasounds which to add insult to injury,the woman is being forced to pay for this invasive test....a test she does not want. You get the same results with the normal out of body ultrasound as you do with the ******l one but it is not as humiliating and invasive. And Mr.Boehner stands up there and says there is no war against women....really? Just because someone like Ryan passes a bill....does not necessarily mean it is a good one.Paul Krugman and many economists have not endorsed it and have said it is deterimental to the future of this country and the middle class will be the loser and the poor.

Military's prime job protect corporate interest. check the number of Republican's in the military? Corporation make money off the military CUT MILITARY SPENDING out side [no bid ] contractors billion's of dollars. cut Republican's power less than 40 senators no filibusters on everything

What in the world are you talking about in the next to last paragraph of page 1. Let me get this straight. You are providing one of the weakest "equivalence" arguments ever by "..Obama and Democrats can blame only themselves..." how by not proposing alternatives removing the agreement reached in the BCA of 2011? Do you realize how ludicrous that sounds? I guess not but you were definitely one of those people that Mann et. al. were speaking of in their call out of the Rs last week. Just can not believe something this lame would be published by Politico.

How can these people continue to say we cannot raise taxes? What world are they living on. They will cut and cut and cut until there is nothing to cut anymore. And they want to make the Bush tax cuts permenant. How stupid can they be. As defense spending continues to go up every year after year where will the money come from with permenant tax cuts in place. Where is the logic?